Renee
by McGonagall's Bola
Summary: Another ending to episode 8.17, namely: "Renee lives" Jack/Renee -REWRITTEN!
1. Chapter 1

**This is set amid & after Jack's conversation with Chloe. **

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Chapter 1

Chloe suddenly became quiet on her end as well, somehow sensing that something must be going on at Jack's side. His mid blue eyes with hint of green resolutely focused upon the large white door of the occupied surgery room. He quietly watched one of the nurses leave, before walking away without paying any attention to him, carrying… something relinquished, maybe.

Jack's heartbeat pounded hard into his head. This couldn't be happening… not now. Renee couldn't have given up, he immediately made up his mind… so had this team of doctors, to whose medical responsibility Jack had given Renee's existence, given up on her then?

Jack suddenly heard Chloe's voice repeat his name on the far other end. "I'm gonna get back to you," he whispered, eyes now focusing even more onto the pale colored swing door, that deliberately released a couple more doctors and nurses, each carrying the very same look on their faces as the first that had left. Jack's breath caught into his throat, bumping against an invisible yet existing lump that couldn't be swallowed.

A tall, African American male neared him, and he immediately feared for the very worst. Something within his abdomen knitted together, and even though his mind had told him more than just once while having sat there waiting for news, that that shot had been quite near perfect to kill, he wasn't ready for what was about to come. It couldn't be any good.

"I'm sorry," the voice belonging to the doctor whom he assumed to be the one in charge sounded. "There was just too much arterial damage and blood loss."

Jack's eyes shifted to bewildered, just looking at the doctor in light blue opposite him, but he didn't listen in the least to what had followed after that short apology and elucidation. Jack's greenish eyes quietly moved over to the bed leaving the now unoccupied surgery room and being pushed into the long, white corridor by two nurses.

A very pale looking Renee, attached to several see-through tubes differing in size and having needles into her arteries at the height of her inner elbows, that lead to two packs of blood and something else held high by another, third nurse, was lying into the bed.

Jack's eyes wandered back to the younger doctor's face, as the bed came to a halt next to them both. He seemed to have noticed Jack's lack of attention earlier and thus repeated the same in other words. "She has gone into a deep comatose condition due to hypovolemia. Her heart has ceased twice while the surgery lasted, and twice were we barely able to revive her. It is going to be entirely up to her now," he added, upon seeing Jack's mouth open to ask what he easily assumed – because it had happened before that the emergency doctor found himself in such situation – would be something like, "Is she going to make it?"

Jack's eyes wandered back to Renee's pale face: the shut light blue eyes and soft lips he had kissed maybe an hour before. From the corners of his eyes, Jack vaguely saw the tall, African American doctor nodding to the nurses pushing Renee's hospital bed, which slowly continued its way along the untarnished, white corridor of the hospital, into the direction of ICU, he supposed.

The nurses' white footwear made barely audible sounds upon the shiny grayish floor. Jack intuitively turned around to look after her. He barely felt the hand on his shoulder and failed to hear the "I'm very sorry" before being left alone in the middle of the corridor while everything and everyone around him continued as if nothing had or could have happened.

There were already too many cases of comatose subjects who never woke again, or eventually died or advanced into a vegetative condition, and again there were already enough – if maybe not most – who didn't make it through without serious physical, intellectual or psychological damage.

He absentmindedly reached up with his hand, holding it over his mouth, sighing deeply as Renee disappeared behind the gray, metallic doors of the elevator at the end of the corridor.

He quietly looked down at his shirt, colored red with the woman's blood. Should he have pushed the wound to minimize the blood flow and have waited for an ambulance with that sniper still shooting after them? He wondered. Would she have had a better chance if he had done things differently?

He feverishly blocked the many recurring images, of Renee lying there somewhere between the bedroom and other room, her eyes wide open in shock and panic and most likely pain. The fast oozing of blood had scared him to hell, even though him having seen enough blood before would be an understatement. Her blood so easily soiling the sheet wrapped around her body replayed into his head in slow motion.

The fear that had been readable in her eyes was hard to push past into his mind. He most likely never would forget that vision. Why did he suddenly have to leave the room and let her take the bullet? Had it been meant for him, or had someone really wanted Renee dead? And had it been because of him only or other reasons?

His mind began working at top speed that instant, as he quietly lowered his hand, and his mouth turned into a thin, furious line. He began walking into another direction of the corridor as Renee had been rolled. Long strides of anger and boiling revenge created more distance between them.

The already scary look in his furious, greenish eyes became colder with every step, and he unconsciously clenched his hands into fists. Whomever had caused this to happen, had it been directly or not, was going to suffer the consequences, no matter how long it would take to track that son-of-a-bitch down, or whom or how many he would have to torture, or maybe kill along the way to revenge. Justice.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is set a couple of days after my first chapter.**

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Chapter 2

Jack Bauer's heavy head remained bowed as he quietly sat beside Renee's hospital bed in ICU onto a hard and most likely cheap chair. He sighed, lethargically raising his ocean colored eyes to look at her, not even having moved an inch compared to hours, or days, earlier. She looked genuinely peaceful into her deep comatose condition, so that one could very easily mistake and say Renee was resting only.

Renee had been such a courageous and admirable, vivid woman, and therefore it sure was hard for him, to watch her just lying there being too quiet and passive; being almost unrecognizable to that woman Jack had loved and loved, so much.

She had brought about the very same sensations within him as Teri once had – the very same sensations which he never had thought to feel again with someone else after his wife Teri; which, until Renee, had felt entirely absent, as if having died together with his wife, the mother of his daughter Kim.

His mind wandered to Kim. She had become such a wonderful young woman and mother. His mind wandered further to little Teri, his granddaughter, mirroring Kim so much in appearance… and somewhat in character, too.

Jack reached for Renee's hand with both of his and quietly lowered his head to lean her hand against his cheek and so feel her touch, whereas it couldn't really be described as a touch in more than just one sense of it. Please, Renee, he begged within himself. Please.

Jack Bauer's eyes closed for a second, as he futilely did his best to master that avalanche of thoughts overwhelming him right then. His lips carefully came into contact with her hand, kissing it only tenderly, before lying Renee's hand down onto the cover again and getting up off his chair, watching down upon her like that; momentarily eying her in that position.

He quietly shook his head to himself and wandered to the window, where he sighed once again, watching down upon that Earth, that contained so many hidden dangers, which eventually had led to his Teri being taken away of him and now Renee just as well.

He wasn't dumb.

He fully well knew that being there by Renee's bedside 24/7, was pure torture to himself.

Jack fully well knew that with himself only to be listening to his thoughts and babbling, while watching her in this condition between living and dying; in which she couldn't even feel him, or register him otherwise; in which she couldn't even see, or hear, or smell him near, he slowly must be talking himself to insanity.

His ocean colored eyes fell shut once again, the exhaustion that having forced himself to remain awake in case Renee's condition would alter suddenly brought being the cause of it. He quietly turned around, watching her of his position at the window. She looked so peaceful while slowly losing her fight, her body being really too weak and going over into living vegetative, or sooner maybe rather than later giving up on her and eventually shutting down.

"No, Jack!" He yelled to himself, turning around and dashing his fist hard against the wall, knuckles bleeding when retracting, before crashing down onto the chair by the window. He couldn't care less about any pain soaring through his bleeding knuckles right after. If even he was giving up on her, what chance would she ever have?

He felt like he had failed on Renee; nothing else. He had told her that she was going to be alright, but the word 'alright' was really the last that came to his mind upon seeing her like that. "You're gonna make it. We're gonna make it, I promise," he had said to her into the cab on the way over to the hospital. He wondered if 'making it', held this. No.

His mind was taking a run with him as he evenly shifted into a very disturbed sleep, filled with nightmares that were merely ruthless memories of the past, which he never had wanted to relive again. Jack's subconscious had determined otherwise, though. Jack's eyes twitched lightly behind their eyelids as his subconscious pulled him in and brought him back to that day about eight years ago, which he would later end up calling the longest day of his life.

_Teri's eyes were shut, her dirty white top tainted scarlet, as Jack found her tied to a chair, a piece of tape covering her deadly pale lips. He easily got her loose and lifted her into his arms, only then really realizing that his aid had come too late. Jack lethargically collapsed with her in tears, slowly realizing that she would smile at him never again; that he wouldn't hear her laugh or soft voice ever again and… _

_And then suddenly Teri's face became Renee's… eyes wide open in shock and panic and pain. He wasn't sitting anymore, but running through the building to get her to the hospital while she was rapidly losing blood and dying._

Jack's eyes opened, flashing around him wearily to see the room marginally darker than he had last seen it. He panted heavily, chest rising and falling and buried his head into his hands.

He sometimes wondered why he never could have been a salesman or something else like that; someone who was blind for the dangers around him, or… anything else than what he was. What was he really? News reporters so had the tendency sometimes to describe him as a hero.

He couldn't really feel any less than a hero right then, though… being aware that what his subconscious had made him relive again was no one else's fault but his own. He didn't really feel like a hero, upon watching Renee into the bed once again.

He got up easily enough, before moving over to Renee's hospital bed. Her one arm was draped over her middle now. Jack quietly assumed that a nurse must have come by to check her vitals in the meantime.

He tenderly watched her for a moment, tears filling his eyes without leaving them. He leaned in to touch her forehead with his and reached up with his hand to run through her long, reddish dark brown hair that lay upon the pillow. "I love you," he whispered, carefully kissing Renee's forehead. "And I'm so sorry." I'm so sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Renee's fingertips worked themselves eagerly under her lover's khaki sweater, his body lingering above her, his knees put in between her legs, which were considerately parted as she lay into the middle of the bed. Her fingers caught hold of the zoom of his sweater, lifting it, before effectively ridding him of it, his lips only momentarily leaving hers to allow the passage of fabric. Renee carelessly threw the sweater beside his bed, where her high heeled boots and his pair of shoes and their already discarded socks lay – his with and hers without little holes._

_Their lips found each other again after the very short disconnection. Renee's fingertips slowly moved across Jack's chest, doing their best to touch every inch. She lightly panted in anticipation beneath him; their passionate, heated kissing very likely to have something to do with it as well. _

_His lips moved to the nape of her neck, getting Renee to bite down on her well-defined lower lip momentarily. She could feel herself grow moist; a feeling that was awkward to experience after a period of having felt so alone, been left by everything and everyone, but at the very same time impossible not to recognize._

_Renee could feel his breath into her neck, and for just a second, she suddenly remained entirely inanimate. Her formerly harmonious respiration became more rapidly right then; eyes shut while imagining Laitanin on her again. She knew this was no one else but Jack and that he was so different in most every way, yet…_

_Jack could register the change in her behavior, even though it had been almost unnoticeable and most essentially internally. He looked at her with worry, affectionately whispering her name into the dimness of his bedroom, and her eyes opened to look at him with that same visage Jack had seen only once before. _

_A layer of unshed tears formed upon her eyes as she slowly calmed back down, Jack quietly allowing her some time to regain before moving or saying anything. "You OK?" He wondered, as she slowly let her head rest against the bed, fingertips lazily continuing to trace the underlying taunt muscles on his chest again. _

_She nodded and gave him a smile._

_Jack wasn't really convinced and rolled over onto his back while moving her on top with one hand on her hip. He hoped that she would feel less threatened like this. She immediately smiled at him with more confidence upon that, and he knew this must have been necessary for the battered Renee to enjoy their intimacy._

_She gingerly straddled him, her knees now hugging his waist. She easily folded herself down to let her lips meet Jack's, fingers holding onto the headboard behind him as his eagerly maneuvered under her shirt, running over Renee's bare back tenderly with his fingertips. She slowly allowed her eyes to shut and immediately smelled something particularly sweet in the air that hadn't been as profound before. She couldn't quite compare this to anything else she could have smelled before and knew that she would most likely find it nowhere else than with him._

_Their noticeably swollen lips disconnected momentarily again, as Jack very slowly pulled his lover's shirt over her head, to be left lingering near them on the bed without either of them paying any attention to it anymore. Renee's body indubitably ached for his touch; ached to feel again; to feel loved again and not only wanted… usually for nothing else but the other one's joy. Her eyes opened again, as her body wordlessly screamed for him._

_He uneasily raised himself into a sitting up position with her into his lap, one hand serving as a support, as his other one rested upon Renee's lower back to make sure that she wouldn't slide off and make sure that nothing of their intimacy would be lost with that move. _

_"Jack," she whispered, anxiously searching for his lips. Jack eagerly obliged to her request and leaned in to let his lips meet hers again, his hand slowly running up and back down her spine, as both of hers were caught into his hair possessively. Every time his fingers caught behind the band of her bra, he had to keep himself from losing it right then and there. _

_She could arouse him so much. He felt a stitch of guilt run through his mind as he came to realize that no one else, not even Teri, had gotten to make him feel that way before. Renee was really wonderful in many ways, but he couldn't accurately say what did it, though._

_He could feel her nipples grow harder through the fabric of her bra – which was made of shiny black – as Renee's bosom squeezed against his ribs. The realization of that made his boxers strain even more than already was the case. "Renee," he tenderly whispered her name. _

_As if by intuition, she slowly allowed a hand to detangle and go down across his chest, to the waistband of his jeans, unfastening it to give him some more leeway there. Jack thankfully growled at this, letting his lips run a path over her well-defined jaw line to her earlobe, slowly taking it between his lips, sucking momentarily. This was, together with his breath right beside her ear, enough to make Renee moan aloud in ecstasy._

_Jack quietly reached for her bra straps and pulled them both down simultaneously, actually accomplishing to keep sitting upright without the use of one hand. He cautiously looked into her eyes to make sure that he wasn't going too fast here, but she only smiled at him encouragingly. _

_He slowly leaned back, somehow forgetting to take into account that the headboard could be too near, to allow him just that. Thus, he ended up hitting his head against the wood hard. One hand instantaneously reached for the back of his head, as he, by reflex, used another as a support again to keep himself from hitting his head once more._

_Renee almost immediately burst into laughing and rolled off him holding onto her abdomen. Jack snorted, moving in between her legs just like before and commencing to tickle both of her sides without showing mercy. She of course did anything possible to push him off by fidgeting and kicking wildly around her, but that was really useless. "Jack, please!" She giggled, breathless due to her lover's onslaught. Jack's soft chuckle could be heard. "Ja- Jack!"_

_He suddenly cursed himself internally for doing just this – possibly getting her to relive earlier situations in which she hadn't been able to defend herself either, or had been feeling threatened enough to go over to the act of self defense, or obey others while appealing to higher loyalties to keep herself going._

_He immediately ceased his onslaught, being kind enough to let her regain her breath for a couple of minutes, while just sitting there gazing down on her into his bed… being enthralling, even though Renee's cheeks were flushed in passion and most likely due to laughing as well. _

_"I'm sorry," he whispered. Renee's head almost immediately shook in denial. Her hand quietly reached for his cheek, fondling it only momentarily. Renee's warm hand became unmoving against his cheek, as innumerous thoughts filled up her mind. _

_"I love you," he whispered, leaning into her hand._

_Renee wasn't really unafraid to voice what she felt, even though she wanted to. She couldn't push aside that awkward, unhappy belief saying that it would make her lose everything she, together with Jack, was experiencing right now, as if… "I love you, too," she replied, so soft that he almost couldn't hear it, before letting her hand run down across his chest again. She took more time for this than necessary, biting down on her lip seductively while enjoying the feel of him, purely Jack Bauer, under her very eager fingertips._

_She zealously caught hold of the anterior of his jeans, which happened to be easy with them already unfastened, before leading him down on her again. He rested upon both elbows while lying between her legs, as their lips passionately reconnected. Tongues roughly dueled for more touch and dominance. _

_Renee giggled girlishly, upon feeling his only building arousal push against her, more imperiously than before with only the fabric of his boxers bothering its liberty now. She somehow succeeded in getting to his hips, the position both of them were in and the sheen of sweat that had formed between them, however, made it particularly hard to get that damn pair of jeans into motion – let alone get it entirely undone._

_Jack quietly rolled onto his back beside her and used everything within his might to get the pair of jeans down, bizarrely kicking his legs while doing so. Renee rolled onto her side to watch him with a smile, eyebrows raised, a hand supporting her head while witnessing his struggle with his very own dungarees. _

_Under a lot of gasps for air and inaudible, muttered curses, Jack finally succeeded in getting his jeans down to his taluses and got them ending up right next to the bed by kicking his feet once more. He turned back toward her, rolling onto his side facing her by perceiving her position and intuitively tilted his head to allow their lips better access to reconnect. _

_They almost unconsciously rolled back and forth into the throes of passion until she was on top again – this time without Jack bumping his head. Renee's hips rocked into his naturally, getting him to groan into her mouth. Her fingers once again reached for his headboard, while his moved over her spine upward slowly until reaching her bra. He wasn't any good with this – never been. He continued fiddling with its fastener unsuccessfully until Renee lightly laughed against his lips and easily reached behind her to do it for him herself. This wasn't unusual when in bed with a man – at least not when he actually did his best to keep the bra whole._

_Jack's ocean colored eyes took in the vision before him when Renee slowly allowed him to see her by letting the article move down, before tossing it aside without paying that much attention. He swallowed. "You're so…" he whispered, literally not being able to find any word fine enough to describe her. _

_Some of her reddish brown hair rippled down over one side of her face due to gravity as she shyly bowed her head. He delicately tucked her hair behind her ear again and tipped Renee's chin upward so that their eyes met again. Jack's hand lingered under her chin._

_Renee smiled and quietly reached for his hand with hers, pinching it thankfully before rubbing their now entwined hands against her cheek and leading them further down. Their respective unoccupied hands found each other, before entwining as well, fingers weaving into each other so easily, as if made especially to be with one another and no one else. Renee cautiously caressed the back of his hand over her nipple, doing everything she could to keep her light wide pupilled eyes open to look at him, even though the touch made her eyelids so heavy with delight… that what she hadn't really felt in quite a while. _

_Renee's hand let go of his to let him investigate on his own for just a little while, while going to clench the head of the bed once again. A moan audibly escaped her lips, and her eyes shut as Jack cautiously palmed the side of his lover's bosom, immediately followed by his thumb running over the taunt, pink nipples._

_He slowly rolled Renee underneath him into the bed again. Her eyes temporarily opened at the change of position, before fluttering shut again upon feeling his lips onto her neck and soon enough lower as well. Jack eventually reached a nipple, unhurriedly running the length of his tongue over it, before taking this tip into his mouth and sucking. Renee's body arched at this, as she just couldn't keep inside another moan, which appeared more audible than the former. _

_Renee could feel his breath onto the valley between the bulges that formed her bosom, as he slowly shifted his attention toward the other pink nipple. His tongue briefly flicked across it, immediately sending shivers of joy over Renee's entire body, goose flesh rising onto her skin, breathing soon becoming ragged in between moans and gasps. _

_He somehow used the tip of his nose to tease it, feeling Renee's fingers getting snared into his hair once again to urge him nearer, but he wasn't really willing to yield… yet. Another load of feather light kisses could be felt along her skin as Jack moved downward further to her navel. He fleetingly dipped his tongue into it, making her giggle aloud – she appeared to be very ticklish there._

_Jack chuckled almost inaudibly, feeling her grasp into his hair tighten in anticipation as he slowly began kissing Renee's lower abdomen, teasing along the waistband of her jeans. "Jack," she panted, virtually begging him not to make her wait any longer; aching for more touch._

_Jack's fingers loosened her pair of jeans; first unbuttoning before unzipping. He intentionally looked up at Renee to make sure this was alright; her deep blue eyes shut in sensation and lower lip bit gave him enough assurance. He easily hooked his thumbs into her jeans and pushed them lower. Renee thoughtfully lifted her bottom to allow the passage of fabric. Jack alternately began pulling at the legs of her pair of jeans as it reached her knees and threw it beside the bed with the other already discarded articles. Undoing Renee's jeans had appeared to go more easily in comparison with his own._

_Jack then settled between her legs once again. Renee looked up at him lustfully, willingly bending her leg as her lover's hand ran across her thigh, commencing at her hip. His hand ran further down to her talus, languidly lifting her foot to his lips and kissing each of her toes successively, beginning with the biggest. Her toes impetuously jerked. She giggled, while undergoing this regard repeatedly, Jack's hand resolutely keeping her foot in his hold, as she couldn't do anything else but kick her legs while laughing. _

_He slowly kissed a path over her leg upward to Renee's inner thigh, her back almost immediately arching and breathing coming in shreds of air. As Jack eventually reached the very erogenous zone between her legs, he easily shifted to Renee's left leg, which she accommodatingly bended up to give him better access. His lips cautiously trailed over her left inner thigh upward, beginning at her knee. _

_Her eyes flickered open slowly. "Jack," she begged._

_He quietly raised his eyes to meet hers. He could see her shiver momentarily. "You cold?" He questioned._

_She immediately shook her head in denial to assure him she wasn't. He didn't look convinced, though. The covers of his bed were already quite disheveled, so it wasn't that hard to take hold of the sheet and guide it over their heated, sweaty bodies. She giggled girlishly into the dimness as she could no longer see her lover accurately, but barely perceive the now obscure shape that represented him. _

_Renee, however, could feel him near enough: the breath tickling her very sensitive skin, which made goose pimples rise onto it immediately; the lips leaving hot, wet trails along their way; the nose nuzzling the nape of her neck; the fingers running over her sides downward…_

_Jack's left hand ran down further while the other remained motionless onto her hip. He tentatively caught the waistband of her matching black panties and began pulling at them. She considerately lifted her bottom again to make it easier. Soon enough, Renee's black panties adorned the carpet, already scattered with articles belonging to either one of them. _

_He shifted, so that his left leg slid in between hers, while hers came up between his. Jack hunted around for her lips into the dimness, finding them and enveloping them into a new heated duel made of passion, lust… and love._

_She sensually cupped him through the fabric of his grayish colored boxers, making him groan loud and reach for her hand with his to push it away. "Renee," he breathed. "Don't, or I won't be able to hold in any longer here."_

_"Then don't," she replied, candidly. _

_Even before she had gotten any chance to get a hold of him again, Jack already had both of his lover's wrists pinned on each side of her head and had shushed her with his mouth._

_When he thought that it could be safe enough to let go of her again, he did and nuzzled down to her abdomen, fingertips caressing along over her sides to her hips. Upon reaching her hips, Jack's hands slid down to her knees, bending them and parting them subtly to give him easier access for what would follow later._

_He agonizingly, slowly ran his lips over her right inner thigh, feather light so that she could barely feel it. She intuitively opened her legs wider for him. She could hear Jack's soft chuckle and began to suspect he wasn't going to give her right what she wanted quite yet. Renee couldn't really predict how far he would take it, but he was going to let her wait just a bit longer for sure. That was counted without Renee, though._

_She could feel her lover's hot breath tickle in between her legs, where she was reasonably even more sensitive for it – partially because of the juices that had gathered there while subdued to Jack's luscious perception of foreplay, that came into contact with his respiration then. If she actually had to wait until Jack thought it necessary to go over to more… she felt absolutely positive, that by then she must have gone insane with anticipation already. Maybe that was rightly his purpose, though._

_Jack cautiously kissed her mound, getting her to arch upward with delight and release her loudest moan until then. He, instead of going further, moved to go upward after that. That's when the very excited Renee lost it, though. "Jack," she whined. She could hear his chuckle near upon that. Her arms, which had rested next to her head until then, suddenly came to live again. She slowly roamed them down over her body, to let her fingers get lost in his hair again, tactfully leading him down further between her legs – where she most wanted him._

_Jack, however, managed to raise his head, asking, "So, you gonna be bossy?"_

_In response, Renee effectively pushed his head back down. Neither of them could hold in a chuckle. He obliged, though. Jack's hands ran upward to rest onto her sides again, as he slowly kissed her, leaving mild sucking kisses on her labia on one side while moving down. He suddenly used the entirety of his tongue to swipe upward upon reaching her orifice._

_"Oh Jack…" Renee moaned. This sensation was something she must have never felt before. It felt indescribably good to be cherished like that; to feel like being the very only one that counted for him right then._

_Renee's emitted moans gave him the idea this could be a very good tactic. He slowly moved his lips, drawing in her left inner lip, before tenderly sucking on it, while massaging with his tongue. Letting go, he shifted to her orifice again. He cautiously allowed the tip of his pinkish, moist tongue inside her, moving it back and forth rather fast, immediately eliciting loud panting underneath him._

_He suddenly left her core and ran his tongue upward to where her slick inner folds came together: the most sensitive erogenous zone of Renee's entire body. Jack easily chose to make use of that fact in his advantage; to give her as much joy as possible. He slowly clasped his lips around the nub, before giving it rapid, little sucks. Renee's body jerked in delight as a response and heated skin began to tingle, as she vociferously panted. A very familiar feeling came washing over her, settling resolutely and building into the pit of her abdomen. A lot of sensations soared across it, getting it to distort together… to make itself ready for the culmination._

_He slowly enveloped the amass of nerves with his mouth again, shrouding it securely by his lips before commencing to suck somewhat harder and longer than before. While Jack did this, he simultaneously flicked his tongue over and around her clit. He very carefully listened to register any changes in Renee's demeanor, to make sure he could cease every action if necessary. _

_Her panting became even heavier now, and he could feel her get near the edge. She soon would fall into the deep, and he really wanted to make it mind-altering for her. Jack's hand disappeared between her legs as well, and he cautiously allowed a thumb inside her._

_"Ohh," Renee released, followed by an even louder moan. _

_He carefully replaced his thumb by a couple of fingers, easing them back and forth within her fast, but tender; his lips never left her clit, and Jack continued sucking it with everything he had. And then it eventually came._

_Renee's toes suddenly curled together, basically the whole of her body imitating that in some kind of way, while writhing and being tossed in different directions as she fell. And she continued falling and falling, and many lights dazzled behind her eyelids as she did. "Jack," she whispered, as it rippled through her._

_He slowly moved up her body again to lie beside her, capturing her in his arms and letting her rest onto his chest. She only opened her eyes again when her breathing and fast heartbeat had calmed down enough to go through as un-abnormal. _

_Renee quietly raised her head to look at him, before guiding one leg over his body and getting on top again, awkwardly straddling him under the sheet for better leverage. She hunted around for his hands with hers, finding them somewhere in mid-air and entwining their fingers like before. She quietly lifted her posterior, as Jack suddenly interrupted, "Renee."_

_"I'm safe," she assured, as if reading his mind. She momentarily let go with one hand, to lead his member. As Renee's fingertips brushed over his lower area in search, groans left his lips. There wasn't much of a chance to miss, though. _

_Renee shuffled down, experimentally bending her head toward him and leading him into her mouth. She sensually sucked his tip and brought her lips up and back down a couple of times before letting go and straddling him like before. Slowly, she led him into her and sank down his length. _

_When the pair of lovers melded together, each released almost inaudible moans. Both of them remained motionless for a second, just enjoying the feel of being together on every level and in every way now._

_Renee's fingers curled around his headboard again, as she slowly rocked her hips back and forth a couple of times, Jack's hands running up and back down her spine, usually lingering somewhat longer at his lover's lumbar region. _

_Renee suddenly winced, yet laughed at herself at the very same time. "I think that I just got a cramp in my foot." _

_Jack chuckled. "Which one?"_

_"Left," she admitted, somewhat ashamed that this really had to happen right now… and it happened to be damn annoying. Jack's hand moved down to knead her foot, massaging carefully to get it un-cramped again, as she recommenced rocking her hips back and forth, moderately altering her pace._

_"Better?" He questioned._

_"Yeah." _

_Jack quietly released her foot again, ocean colored eyes tightly shutting as Renee's hips thrust into his harder. Their moans and panting united into the heat of their encounter. "Renee, I cannot–" he managed to let out. _

_"Then… let go, Jack," Renee breathed._

_An almost inaudible groan came past his lips, and she could already feel the viscous, hot liquid be released within her. The sensation only of experiencing that; the feeling of happiness that overwhelmed her upon realizing Jack had let go for and within her… made it easier to allow another release after a couple more thrusts. _

_Renee panted heavily, rolling off beside him, before lying her head down onto his chest like before and immediately feeling his arms around her attentively. And that's when she came to realize, that he must have meant the lot of things he had said to her._

_Jack's hand toyed with her long, reddish dark brown hair. They quietly allowed the shine of sweat that had formed between them to cool, just enjoying the feel of being alone with each other._

* * *

Suddenly, something within Jack's hand twitched momentarily, awakening him. It had been existent only barely, but it had been there for sure. "Renee?" He called, eyes immediately going over to hers, only to find them shut and inanimate.

Nothing happened. "Renee?" He repeated, getting off his chair and painfully being reminded of how falling asleep like that tended to make about everyone feel like crap later on. He never released her hand, though.

He breathed heavily, positively sure that he couldn't have imagined this twice. Again, Renee's hand had twitched into his. His ocean colored eyes shifted back and forth over Renee, to perceive any other possible activity, even if only barely noticeable.

Nothing, yet… Jack couldn't push aside that feeling of hope that came over him; hoping that this twitching into his hand before – even though barely existent – really could have been an indication of that what he had been waiting for in the last seven days. He easily reached for the button above Renee's hospital bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack sighed, nodding kindly as the doctor and a nurse left Renee's hospital room on ICU. He really had felt her hand twitch just yesterday, even though only barely. Then how could it actually be nothing had changed in her condition, whereas that little twitch had meant everything to him?

He lethargically shut his eyes, before releasing another, exhausted sigh. Jack's arms crossed over his chest while his eyes remained fixed on Renee, wondering if his lover's light blue eyes would look into his ever again; if he would perceive the sexy, soft shimmer within them again. He quietly shook his head, one hand unconsciously going up into his hair. He felt so worthless… so useless. There was absolutely nothing that he could do to enhance things. He couldn't do anything but wait. And yet every time he left Renee's room even momentarily to get something to lessen his thirst, or obey his hunger, or when other needs forced him to leave her side, to keep himself going, so that he could be there for Renee, when her condition would alter, a stitch of guilt could be felt across his chest. Jack's throat would feel just as rough and arid even after liters of water, though. And no food ever appeared to taste about the same as it used to… if it had any taste to begin with.

No one could say more than what he already had been told more than once, and that's maybe what annoyed him most. No one could give him something definite about Renee's situation, whereas he internally ached for something like that… anything. He just wanted to hear she was going to wake up soon and that she would perceive no lasting damage… though that was nearly impossible. The feel of being so worthless while Renee continued to commute in between life and death, with no one really able to say nearer to which end, brought about the most irrational sides of him. What he felt for her possibly had its role, too.

It would be reckless to think that everything could be safe now. New dangers would make their existence known sooner, or later. He had vowed to himself and to Renee, that he wouldn't ever get involved into it anymore, though. That he would allow her and himself a chance to be happy together when that whole shit was over. He had performed the hero enough times. He had saved more than fifteen people off the bus already, and now time had come to save the ones being nearest to him and maybe himself as well.

If Renee wouldn't make it through, she would just be yet another victim of the curse that lay upon him; that doomed him to lose basically everyone around him one by one, until no one but him was left. He had gotten good at disguising what he felt, because there were usually higher loyalties that weren't helped with him sobbing into a corner of the room like a child. On occasions like these, though… he wanted to and so fiercely. At this very occasion, Jack Bauer wanted to curl up into a ball like a hedgehog gazing into the headlights of a car boring down on it at full speed. Right then, Jack more than ever realized why he had pushed aside whatever he felt for years. It felt so much better. It felt so much better to let that side of him deny everything, or portray anything bad as 'inevitable'.

He looked at Renee once again: at the shut light blue eyes and her closed mouth. He pushed past memories of her into his arms with her eyes wide, blood oozing. That one particularly was hard to disregard. He couldn't say why. He slowly sat himself down on the hard, white chair next to the bed again, sore muscles arguing against the move. His hand intuitively reached to cover Renee's onto the sheet like before, thumb tenderly caressing its top.

Renee wouldn't be helped if he was lying curled up by the side of her bed either. She wouldn't be helped if he would let the many emotions come over him and torture him to insanity. No, that feeling of not being able to save her life, of the woman he loved, that lingered with him everywhere since she had gotten shot, that was more than enough torture for him right now without allowing more feelings of un-dealt with pain.

He quietly bowed his head to look at his feet momentarily before letting his eyes shut. One hand reached up to rub his eyes, and Jack sighed once again. He looked aside at the window to watch night falling. Dusk soon would penetrate their nostrils and wrap around them like a cover, and their Earth would revolve until it became day again. The Earth didn't care about losing Renee.

Right then he could feel something flinch again beneath his hand, somewhat stronger than yesterday. Jack's hand shifted aside immediately to see Renee's fingers move noticeably. He just looked at the twitching of her hand in shock for an instant, lots of things running through his mind at once. His hand hopefully recaptured hers, before letting his lips touch it, eyes moving to her face, to find her eyes wide open.

He easily rose off his seat, again ignoring the objections of his body, his hand never leaving hers. "Renee?" He whispered, but her eyes were directed to the ceiling, her chest rapidly rising and falling. This time could there be no denying. His hand reached for the button above her head again, as he continued to gaze at her, a smile unconsciously forming around his lips.

Suddenly, she redirected her eyes and looked at him, her eyes only widening and breathing getting quicker. "Renee?" He whispered once again, smile disappearing almost immediately and eyebrows confusedly knitting together. Then he could feel his heart thump hard, upon realizing that she didn't recognize even her own name… or him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jack's feet carried him back and forth into the corridor of the hospital, one hand into his hair and another to his mouth – he occasionally bit on his right thumb nail in impatience. He soon wouldn't be having much of a nail anymore. He didn't usually do this, nail biting.

He sat himself down on one of the chairs against the wall and suddenly thought of something. He easily reached into his pocket with the hand that had been ruffling through his hair before then and retrieved his phone. Chloe would like to be informed… but maybe he should wait for more about Renee's condition. He immediately noticed the screen gone inanimate. His damned phone must have turned off by lack of battery… so no one could be informed until it had gotten recharged either way. Jack couldn't possibly reproduce any of the oh so many numbers sitting in it himself.

Jack looked up and back down the corridor in search for any indication of time, but found none within sight. Renee had been alone with the doctor and one of the nurses for quite a while already. He sighed, eyes directed down to his toes.

Jack's head shot up at a sound nearby… but it wasn't Renee's door. He nodded, to a woman in mid-fifties leaving the room next to Renee's. He quietly followed her with his eyes, wondering whom she could have visited – having been there for about a week now, almost 24/7, had made him more compassionate about others in the same situation.

Jack began rapping his fingers onto his thigh. He didn't quite get why he couldn't have remained with Renee. The nurse that had come, had gone to fetch the doctor immediately at the notice of Renee's eyes open, restlessly flashing around while being overwhelmed by basically everything. He had caressed her hand, while talking to her in soft tones. It had pained him to find her not recognizing him; eyes wide and scared.

He sighed. It hadn't been that odd at last maybe: him having been shushed into the corridor. While doing his best to reassure her, the three words had left his mouth, "I love you." Upon that, Renee's hand had squirmed into his, not quite energetic enough to retract, and her eyes had filled with tears. She hadn't been able to reply him. Jack now realized that it must be awkward to hear someone say that whom you didn't even recognize. That's right when the nurse had returned with the doctor, and of course she had thought it better, to let him leave the room for a while.

He began tapping one foot as well, and the other joined in soon, as he quietly leaned back his head and looked up at the ceiling. The sound of yet another door shutting behind someone immediately made his head refocus on Renee's hospital door. The nurse and doctor that had been with Renee, carefully shut the door behind them. Jack rose, attentively directing his eyes at both: first at the nurse and after that at the doctor, while waiting for either to do the talking.

The nurse gave him a smile, then left. The doctor began divulging, Jack's full attention directed to him. "She's calmer now. Ms. Walker's eyes have motioned here a couple of times, so I would assume that it is okay to see her."

"How's she?" Jack questioned, as anticipated.

"She's incapable to react to most stimuli," Dr. Madé admitted. "I'm not quite sure how much she's going to regain yet, or how fast this is going to happen. Some abilities she may regain faster than others. That shall become more obvious with time, but there's a chance she'll never be the old again." Jack sighed, defeated. "She's, however, still young and healthy," Dr. Madé continued. "And she's been into the coma for less than ten days. That of course gives her better chances to regain everything, without any lasting damage. I, however, must say not many are that lucky, and therefore I'm bound to give you every option." Jack nodded. "Her day and night rhythm has most likely gotten disturbed. It could take at least a couple of days for Ms. Walker to fall back into that pattern and divide day and night. Therefore, it is very normal if she rests at day and is awake at night. She'll, however, be asleep most of the time for now either way. She'll be taken to another, individual hospital room on another ward later today."

Jack nodded again, as the doctor in charge disappeared into the same direction as the nurse had earlier. Instead of going back to Renee, he remained alone in the corridor for a while, just letting everything penetrate. Of course he had known, that there would be the chance that Renee wouldn't be the old, loveable one ever again, no matter if modifications took effect physically, intellectually, or psychologically.

The thought of that, in fact, scared him, even though nothing would make him discontinue loving her. He quietly walked into the room and found Renee asleep like Dr. Madé had warned. A smile came across his lips for a second as Jack awkwardly sat down on his seat beside her bed once again. That was where he really needed to be right now. Chloe would have to wait.

He lovingly watched her while asleep. She momentarily twitched, as Jack almost automatically reached for her hand like before. She then allowed his touch and rested. Jack's ocean colored eyes fixed on her, as he laid another hand upon hers, too. He tenderly bowed his head, letting his forehead rest against his lover's hand, like he had done more than once in the past couple of days.

Please, he begged, to no one in particular.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much." And this time, she didn't begin panicking upon hearing these words. And Jack hoped that next time that he would say them, his Renee would be as peacefully undisturbed as now and awake. He didn't quite think about hearing her return it yet. He already got that first she needed to get used to being awake again: to see, to hear, to smell, to feel everything again. He imagined, it must be quite overwhelming. He would have to give it some time. For Renee, he would give the rest of his life.


	6. TEASER: LA

"L.A.": TEASER

One wouldn't immediately notice anything unusual about former FBI Renee Walker. She generally appeared like a normal 37-year-old woman to anyone else, yet there lingered much more within her than was visible at first sight.

She had been between life and death barely one year earlier, lingering in a deep comatose condition, of which no one could have really guessed she would awaken and that unharmed.

She had, though. She had woken up nine days later, with some serious consequences. She hadn't really been able to communicate at once or to obey easy commands as raising her finger. Renee hadn't even been able to recognize anything either… or anyone. Everything of what her life had been before falling into the coma had gone entirely overshadowed into her head… without any chance of reaching for it. She had had quite some issues with her balance in addition, had been discovered later on.


End file.
